War of the Heavens
by Iced Dragon Slayer
Summary: If all of the 12 Zodiac come together, they will open "the gateway that will change the world". One Celestial Wizard believes this legend means the bearer of all 12 keys will be allowed to rewrite the stars. Loke must now fight to save his own from evil's intent, but when he faces ghosts of his past can he stand against them or will he become just another falling star? (yaoi)


**I was so surprised by the love for my other story "Sacrifice:The Orb of Hastaka" and I still thank everyone. I decided to add a second story to the mix. Mainly because back in the day when I use to write YYH fan fiction, I would write two at once because it kept me from loosing my steam on one. Also because I type fast and as much as many may like it, I don't like to get updates out _too_ fast because it brings an end to a good story too quickly.**

**So I decided to have a little fun and write this story mainly because while Lucy may not be my favorite couple I am a HUGE sucker for astrology and the idea of Celestial Wizards and the Celestial Spirits/World is beyond awesome to me! **

**I know many are going to ask if there is going to be a yaoi pairing here and I'm debating that still. I'm really thinking a Gray/Loke pairing or possibly a Natsu/Loke pairing or maybe just going all out and making it a Gray/Loke/Natsu trifecta. I know I want Loke in it somehow cause let's face it, every since he returned to his spirit self Lucy never uses his key enough! (If it were me I'd have him around all the friggen time!) I suppose we'll see how it goes and what everyone wants.**

**Anywho, here's a little side story for you all. Enjoy!**

******-Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. However all other characters and objects (etc) do belong to me!**

**War of the Heavens**

**Chapter One: The King Must Fall**

It was a beautiful world, the world of the Celestial Spirits. Nestled safely between the stars it seemed as though the land was always encased in jewels. They sparkled down with a gentle, calming effect so that even the most rambunctious of spirits were at peace when in their own home. It was a world where time moved slower, as if it did not matter at all. Star light drizzled over the villages like shimmering rain and simply seemed to make everything right. It was a place that humans could only dream of and that spirits could not think to be without. The air its self was filled with magic and each breathe taken was like a bath for the soul.

He drew air into his lungs slowly, letting that calming effect wash through his body in a way that relaxed every muscle. His limbs seemed to sag. It was not that they felt heavy but more so that he was so at ease in the moment that he had neither the energy or desire to even attempt to move them. A faint wind blew past him, tousling his bright orange spikes and carrying on it a sweet scent. His chin tilted back, nose raising towards the starry sky in order to draw the familiar scent of home deep into his lungs.

For three years he had been cast out of this place, the place of his birth. If that was what you could call it when a spirit came into being. Maybe the word 'creation' held more of a truth to it. Either way, it was a place he had longed for yet dreaded all the same. He had been prepared to vanish in the world of humans and pass his legacy onto another. The very idea of ever returning to the Spirit World had been a dream that had forced him to fear sleeping. It was one thing to want something that you knew you could have, it was another to dream for something you could never obtain. It was a haunting feeling, one that had filled him with a depressing nostalgia.

He had spent so long trying to blind himself to his inevitable end and the horrid guilt. Not for himself but for those that he had done wrong and those he would leave behind. He had known that in his old world it would seem that only a few days had passed since the lock would have appeared on his gate, barring him from ever returning. However to a Spirit who knew of the true passage of time in both worlds, they would know the years he had already spent away from them. It would have been obvious to them by the crumbling of his gate.

There had been many long nights where he had wondered if they had even missed him. Nights were he sat pondering who would take his place as the leader of the Zodiac Spirits. Aquarius was strong but far too obstinate to do so, and her partner Scorpio was not mature enough, still acting like a rock star. Taurus might have been able to take his place if the creature were not so, to pardon all puns, bull headed at times. Cancer, Virgo, and Gemini were out, all of them far too ditzy to be of any good in a leadership position. The same could be said for Sagittarius, the horse man, or more accurately the yes man. Aries was far too timid and would be trampled the moment she tried to take any leadership position. More likely that she would just hand over the power to the first person to speak to her. Pieces were merely beasts, and though strong it would not have the logic needed. That would leave Libra and Capricorn. Libra was a spirit of balance and would make a decent leader and Capricorn was strong and loyal. One of them would have been the best suited for the job. Unless a spirit was created to take his place, that was. He wasn't sure how that would work as he had never actually witnessed it before. Spirits had fallen in the past, he was sure of it, but he was not sure of which ones to know if they had been replaced. His rule was only over those of the Zodiac. The lesser, silver keyed spirits were out his frame of knowledge.

It was something he would not have to worry over though, as a certain strong blonde haired celestial wizard had fought to save his life. After what had seemed like so long he had been allowed return to his home world and he was beyond thankful for it. He had not realized how much he had truly missed the place until he had gone back. So many had been eagerly awaiting his return since they had seen the lock finally break on his gate. It had been a heartfelt reunion and it was a gift he could never repay.

How long ago had that been? Three years that he had been trapped in the human's world, then the year he had been in Lucy's care before she had been locked within the power of the Fairy Sphere for seven years. So much time had passed in what seemed no more then then blink of an eye. Which made it eleven years in total since that fateful day where his world had come crumbling down, which in truth meant it had only been around two months in the Spirit World. In their world for each day that passed, 3 months passed in the human world. Yet the spirits were well aware of the length of time that passed in their wizards' world. Those last seven years had been hard and he had to admit that he had passed through his own gate a few times to search for those members of Fairy Tail that had gone missing. He knew they were alive because if they were not his contract would have ended but it was still active. It had been the same with all the Spirits that Lucy held keys for. He had not been able to go to the guild and assure them, the Spirit King had refused to allow him to interfere in the human world in that way. And after seven long years of not knowing, the others had finally resurfaced and life had returned to normal for both the human world and the Spirit world.

He knew he should be glad that they would all finally be able to move on, but something was amiss. There were tremors shuddering out, shaking the very stars around him. The others could not feel it and seemed to not be bothered by the frightened trembles of the shimmering lights that surrounded them. Yet being the leader of the strongest of the Celestial Spirits he was more closely linked to them and could feel their fear as thought it were his own. Something, or _someone_ was messing with the balance of their world. He was not sure how yet, but he would either find out or he was sure it would be unveiled. His attention had been divided as of late, trying to listen for even a whisper of what was going on yet so far he had heard nothing.

"Leo!"

The voice that shouted out from behind him startled him a bit. Leo. After being called Loke for so long he had almost seemed to have forgotten his original name. It was only his fellow spirits that called him by his zodiac name anymore. A frown tugged as his lips as the strained voice shattered the calm that he had finally found near the the celestial springs. One finger moved to push his blue tinted sunglasses a bit farther up his nose with a faint rattle as his hazel eyes slipped shut. He knew the voice of the one behind him without even turning to face him and he had to wonder why the other had followed him up here.

"You know I like to be alone when I come here, Capricorn." He murmured towards the large humanoid goat. "So what happened that brought you out here?"

That much was true. This was the one place in all of the Celestial Realm he never wanted to be disturbed at. The place was known as Zodiac Falls, a large waterfall that was speckled with falling stars. They danced amongst the water like tiny, bright fish filling a deep basin of heated water. It was the place all the zodiac went when they needed to quickly revamp their magical energy. When he had first returned to this world after his three year banishment, the carrot-top had spent almost three full days soaking in the spring. He had spent the whole time staring at the waterfall as it reminding him of the spot that had nearly been his final resting place, yet at the same time had become the place of his rebirth. He found comfort in the idea and when he needed to relax he came here, so he asked his comrades to leave him be unless he was desperately needed.

"I did not wish to bother you Leo." The goat was still speaking in a rasping tone. "However, they made me bring you to them."

"That we did, Lord Lion."

This was a voice that caught his full attention as it was not one of the Zodiac. In fact it was not a voice he knew at all and he had met many spirits in this world. He spun back around quickly, his red tie snapping out behind him as he snarled. Capricorn was on his knees, body hunched forward and seemingly battered. At fist he thought it might have been because Lucy had summoned him but he knew that was not the case. When their wizard was in battle, all the spirits could feel it. Their wizard was in the midst of an odd time of peace. The only cause for such injuries could be caused by the ones that stood behind him.

There were three of them, two men and a woman. One man stood tall and large, muscles rippling out beneath the soft Greek style robe he wore. His hair was brunette and his eyes were dark and strapped to his side was a long sword. His male partner was of similar ancient Greek dress, yet his own hair fell in great golden waves. Between them the woman seemed to be out of place. She was short in stature yet built with the same curves as Lucy. Her hair was a soft blue and small set of wings sprouted from her shoulder blades. A thin horse hair tail fell from the base of her spine, the same cotton candy blue as her hair. The lower half of her legs were covered in soft, snow white fur that ended in cloven hooves for feet.

Loke stood frozen to his spot, hazel eyes wide behind his sunglasses. For the first time in years he felt a true shiver of fear rush through his body. These people that stood before him were faces that he never expected to see again, nor that he wanted to see ever. He couldn't help it and took a slight step back, feeling a gentle tremble run down his spine. How was it that they were here before him, or more so _why_ were they here?

"Oh." The golden haired man chuckled, the muscles on his chest rippling with each sound. "It seems the great Leo, leader of the Zodiac, remembers us."

That taunting tone snapped Loke out of the strange fear that had gripped him suddenly. His hands curled into fists, dropping by his side. His own muscles that had moments ago been limp in a strange calmness now bunched together in stressed tension. Lips curled back into a low snarl, revealing the stubby feline fangs. A growl rumbled up in his throat, a predatory warning to the trio that stood before him.

"Hercules. Perseus." He nearly hissed the names out, fists clenched so tightly now that he could feel his own nails cutting into his palms. His eyes moved to glance at the small woman. "And you must be Pegasus. What are you doing here? You are not allowed up here."

The brunette man laughed suddenly, tossing his head back as his hands rested on his hips. The sword at his side shifted. Loke sneered back, wishing they would speak their piece and leave. Normally he was not so strict about the other spirits visiting the Zodiac Falls. These three were different though. There was bad blood there, as depicted by history. For them to set foot upon these lands was a grave offense to the creatures of this land.

"Is that anyway to greet old friends, Leo?" Perseus asked, his tone still taunting as he lifted one hand towards the Zodiac spirit. "We came to talk to you and you have to go and be so rude."

Loke's sneer only grew sharper as the man spoke. His words struck at him like a knife, tearing through his being. Anger bubbled up out of the hollow they left in his soul and he had to fight back the roar of rage. His gaze turned back towards where Capricorn was still kneeling, his white fur disheveled and obvious signs of wounds spotting his being. He looked back towards the two men.

"You are no friends of mine." He seethed, pointing a finger towards the other zodiac spirit. "You will release my real friend and if you have nothing of value of me to say, you will take your leave. Otherwise this will be brought up before the King."

The golden haired man, Hercules, matched Loke's scowl, large arms crossing over his chest in a show of defiance. The lion spirit flinched back despite his best attempts not to. It was hard to overcome a past that was engrained into the very meaning of your existence. Those arms, that man, images from a previous life swirled behind his eyes and suddenly he found himself a bit short of breath. It took a few moments to gather himself, tugging irritably at his black jacket. No. This was his home and he would not allow memories that no longer had meaning sway him from his normal courage. He was Leo, leader of the Zodiac spirits and he would not be afraid of three second rate spirits with an obvious grudge.

"And just what would tell the King, you beast?" Hercules sneered. "There are no laws being broken here. Your people may have claimed the springs, but it was not written into the laws. And we are meant to fight one another. We are all beings that exist now only for battle. So war there shall be!"

Loke raised a brow, confused by the man's speech. War? Just what war was he talking about, and how had a celestial spirit fallen so off the mark on what they really were. He had nearly died once to prove that all of their kind were more then simply tools for fighting, that they had lives, emotions, and hearts. Though he could not expect those in front of him to remember that. They were the spirits of constellations named after humans turned into false Gods. In their world and their mind it was battles and wars and defeating all in your path that lead to true power and happiness. It seemed they had forgotten the cruel fate that awaited those that strove for the heavens. All that would be left of you were the stars.

His back suddenly went stiff with those thoughts. How had he not picked up on it before. The stars had been trying to warn him, their tiny wails reverberating through their trembling. They had been trying to show him of the unbalance that was coming to their world of calm. Some had been working to change the course of their own tales, wanting to rise past that which astrological history had granted them. These three before him, shadows of a life he could hardly remember except what was written in the stars for them, wished to up heave their world and create a new one with them on top.

"Tread carefully on your quest." He warned them, bright light now starting to leak out from between his fingers as his anger simmered to its peak. "You were once mortal men who sought the same level of greatness and paid for it with your lives. Do not make the same mistake again. Find contentment in living amongst the stars in any form on any level. Do not do this."

"And you were once a mangy beast that refused to listen to reason until the lesson was forced upon you!" Hercules shouted back. "Yet you think you can make commands of me? I was the son of a God! I did so many great things that he etched my likeness in the stars for all of time. Yet he did the same for you, and you received a place higher than me, the one that slayed you! No more, I will not see all the power of our world ruled by beasts that were the enemy in our time. Bow to me now, Leo, forsake your place amongst the Zodiac to me and you may keep your life as a lowly creature!"

Loke could not stop the pure rage that filtered through his body at these words. His mind was lost in a red haze of fury as the light around both his fists blazed up to an almost blinding glow. They had not only insulted him, but also those that he held dear. He knew that most of the Zodiac was made up of animal spirits and that not all of them had favorable stories, but he would not stand by and allow these arrogant men to make light of them. Without a thought or care he charged forward, determined to knock the self righteous words right out of the man's mouth. If he wanted to see why he lead the Zodiac then he would gladly show the man. When he was only a few feet away from them, Perseus raised a hand and pointed a finger towards the attacking carrot-top.

"Now, Pegasus!" He ordered.

The lithe girl moved into action right away. The small wings of her back began to burn with a bright blue light, lengthening behind her. As their wing span spread out they curled backwards. Just as Loke's fist was about to meet Hercules's face Pegasus brought both wings forward in a hard flap. A strong gust of wind snapped out, slamming hard into the carrot-top's side and blasting him off course. He grunted sharply as his body made hard contact with another form. The wind was pushed from his lungs. Air Magic. He should have known that was the power the flying horse would hold.

Loke was about to push himself back to his feet when something heavy was thrown over his head and yanked back. Its weight pressed firmly against the soft flesh of his throat, digging in and cutting off his air supply. His eyes went wide, fingers moving up to claw desperately on the chain that was crushing against his windpipe. A warm breath ghosted over his ear as Hercules' twisted voice slipped into his head.

"Brings back some memories, does it not lion?" He taunted. "Submit and give up your throne or suffer the same fate for eternity. We also promise to go easy on the rest of your beastly friends."

The words refueled the fury within his heart and Loke reached up to grab a hold of the man that leaned over him. With a roar that was more lion then man he bucked forward and hurled the one that was choking him over his shoulder. Hercules's let out a startled grunt as his frame hit the ground a few feet away. Behind his sunglasses, the hazel orbs of zodiac spirit had gone feral, almost as though the animal where now in control rather than the men. He threw his head back and released another roar that shook the very ground they stood on.

"Leo..." Capricorn whispered in shock at the sight of his leader and friend loosing control as he was now. He did not know much about the history between those that were here, but it was obviously something dark enough to cause the usually calm and collected spirit to lose himself.

The seething lion spirit turned a blank gaze on the goat spirit, almost as though he could not see his old friend. His head tilted to one side, the mane of orange spikes bouncing about his head. Another low growl rumbled in his throat as his upper lip trembled in a snarl. Protect, he had to protect them all. Their very existence was being threatened and he could not allow that. His hazel orbs turned to the form of Hercules who still laid where he threw him. The golden haired man sneered back at him, a twisted grin of someone who thought they were on the steps of victory instead of fallen at the feet of their foe. Loke began to take a step forward, fingers curling like claws. He would end this now.

"_Leo_!" The shout rattled through his mind, but only seconds too late.

The tip of the thin blade drove into his back, forcing through the flesh and muscle and exited out from his lower stomach with a burst of blood. His head was thrown back, a feline like yowl pouring out of him. A short gagging sound stuck in his throat, coughing as a stream of blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth. The tiny crimson river trailed along his jawline where it was soaked into the white collar of his shirt. He still could not feel the pain, but he knew that that would come soon enough. From behind him Perseus laughed, giving the sword that was driven through Loke's midsection a sharp shake. He could not hold back the scream of pain that left him and his legs gave out underneath him, dropping him to his knees in the dirt.

Pegasus landed lightly beside his crumpled form. His hazel orbs shifted to look at her, his gaze heavily lidded behind his sunglasses. She tilted her head as she peered back at him seemingly unaffected by his injured state. How could another animal spirit stand by and allow others of her kind to be ravaged because of what they were? That was when he remembered what Pegasus really was, a creature born of the blood of a demon, loyal pet to the human who birthed her. His lips twitched, starting to move to try and form words. All that he could manage though was a few wheezing gasps.

She continued to ignore him as she leaned over him. In her hands was a thin circle of black leather. Something had been carved into its surface and Loke had the sinking feeling that it was something he should not let the winged horse put on him. His lips curled back in another snarl, exposing teeth that had been tinted pink by blood, but his arms felt as though they were made of lead. As the leather collar was strapped around his throat, he jolted. A strange pain burned straight through to his soul. Fresh blood burbled up in his throat and he choked on it, spewing forth more over his lips. His chest rose and fell in short heaves.

"Disciplined and collared like the animal you are." Hercules mused starting to take a step forward. As his hand reached out to grab for Loke, a glow began to hum out from the center of his chest.

His chin dropped slowly, glancing down towards the light. He was being summoned? Lucy surely had the best and worst of timing. Though it would get him out of this dangerous situation he was in no shape to fight for her. If she had need of his help it seemed he was going to let her down. The great golden gate reared up beside him, releasing a flood of warm light over them. A gentle smile pulled as his blood stained lips as he let it pour over him and pull him away from his torment. As his body slipped between worlds he could hear the angry shout of Hercules and the sorrowful one of Capricorn.

Then there was pain unlike any he could remember feeling before.

**-H-E-A-V-E-N-**

His fist clutched the leather pouch tightly, pale blue orbs frowning down at it as though it were burning him. Carrying this thing around was the last hing that he wanted to do. He felt like handling it would somehow curse him with the wrath of the beings whose existence he held in his very hands. A shudder ran down his spine as he thought of the blue haired mermaid that could drown him with only a thought. With a grimace, Gray Fullbuster held Lucy's pouch of Celestial Keys up before his face.

"Hey, if you all can hear me, I'm sorry she dropped you again." He spoke to the collection of trinkets, a sight that earned him a few strange looks from those walking past him. "Wasn't really her fault this time."

And it had not been. They had all been messing around in the guild hall like usual, a normal disagreement over something that was important at the time and was probably foolish now. All he knew was that Natsu had been thrown on the table he sat out and knocked his meal away. He had reacted in a rage, launching himself fully into the brawl. Then the pinkette had gone overboard like usual and the backlash from his flame had burned the clothes off a few of girls that had gathered on the sidelines to watch. One of those women had been Lucy, and with an embarrassed shriek she'd wrapped a table cloth around herself and run off home for new clothing.

It was not until they were cleaning up afterwords that Gray had stumbled across the remains of Lucy's belongings. The whip from the celestial world and her leather pouch of keys. Mirajane had picked them up and held them out to Gray, asking if he could return them to the blonde. She figured that the girl would want them back as soon as possible. Not having them would leave her powerless and he could not imagine what it would be like to walk around without his ice at the ready. That did not mean that he wanted to face the wrath of any of the spirits should they choose to appear and blame him, or even Lucy while he was still around.

"Which means I better get these back quickly." He muttered, shaking the whip in his other hand.

Suddenly a deep thump resounded in his chest and drew him to a jerky halt. He gasped as he felt the tremor run through his entire body, causing his own heart to vibrate deep in his chest. It was as though some force had somehow managed to blast its way through him leaving him feeling hollowed out. What had that sound been? It had sounded like a deep and far off roar. His pale blue eyes were wide as he peered down at the keys in his hand. That roar had somehow sounded familiar.

A bright gold glow suddenly leaked out from the leather pouch. He narrowed his eyes to try and shield his gaze from the blinding light. Was one of Lucy's keys activating with out her even being around? He knew she had gained enough power that her spirits now had the power to move freely between the worlds of their own accord, and that the strongest could even breech the gates with their own magic. Yet he had never seen it happen without Lucy at least somewhere nearby. So what was going on now? He gulped slowly hoping the angry one was not about to make her grand appearance.

"O-Oi..." He whispered, holding the pouch out far away from his body. "Just hold on. I'm almost at her hou-"

His plea was cut short as the light exploded around him, washing out the world as he saw it. He brought a hand up to cover his eyes and turned his head away. It was then a strong force slammed into him. The weight threw him back off his feet with grunt, sending him careening into a nearby alley. Discarded crates and trash scattered around him at the force of the blow and he felt his back hit the ground with enough force to push the air out of his lungs. When he finally came to a stop, Gray could only sit there and wheeze. The strange weight that had bowled him over still rested firmly in his lap and he sat up, rubbing at the side of his head and further mussing up his raven locks.

"What the hell?" He muttered as he glanced down to find out what had knocked him down.

His body froze as his eyes fell on the body that was sprawled over the top of him. It was easy to recognize the wild orange mane of spikes and the black suit clad body. Gray struggled, trying to push Loke off him as a strange yelp of shock escaped him. What the hell was the blasted lion doing throwing him around like that. He thought the leader of the Zodiac Spirits would have had a bit more grace then that. The body remained dead weight on his legs though.

"Loke, come on man!" He muttered, shoving a bit harder. "Get off! What the hell is wrong with you?"

A pained moan slipped from the man over his legs as his form started trembling. Gray stopped his shoving as the sound reached his ears. His eyes narrowed sharply in worry and he grabbed Loke by the arm, flipping the spirit onto his back. The lion lolled over easily, exposing a pale face pinched in pain. Blood still leaked from the corner of his lips, trailing a thin crimson ribbon down his jaw. Gray's heart stopped in his chest at the sight as his gaze moved down to the source of the blood. There was a tear in the white shirt he wore, more blood having turned it mostly red by this point in time.

Nimble fingers tore the shirt open to exposing the pale, heaving chest beneath. Wet, red liquid sloshed over the flesh as it oozed out of a deep puncture wound in the spirit's stomach. Further inspection showed that the wound had been driven clean through. Gray gnawed on his lower lip as he fought back the nauseous horror. In all the time he had known the man, he could not once remember seeing Loke bleed. When he had returned to his spirit duties, whenever he was injured he was simply returned to his own realm. Yet he had come here injured which meant that he had received this injury in the Spirit World. What in all of Fiore could that mean?

He pressed one hand to either side of the carrot-top's wounds and allowed a thin layer of ice to form over them, sealing them to stop the bleeding for now. It was a good thing that he was close to Lucy's home. She was the only person he could think of that might know what was going on. Gray gripped one of Loke's arms and slung it over his shoulder, hoisting the battered spirit up off the ground. Taking the man's dead weight he slowly began to make his way down the next few streets to the Celestial wizards home. Another pained wheeze left Loke at the motion and Gray could only grit his teeth in frustration.

"Hang in there, buddy." He tried to reassure Loke. "We'll get you help soon."

**-H-E-A-V-E-N-**

"You can't just break into a person's home, Natsu!"

Lucy had gotten out of the bath, still flushed in embarrassment from the events that had taken place back at the guild hall, only to find the cause of her troubles in one of her chairs. He was sprawled out, obviously making himself comfortable and right at home. Happy sat on her small table, happily munching on a fish. She knew the two had their own home and she had to wonder why they were never there. It was like they could not be alone for any length of time. Maybe she should start charging them rent.

"We didn't break in!" Happy called out happily, raising one paw. "We came in through the open window."

"That's still breaking in!" She screeched in return, a fire burning in her brown eyes.

Natsu shifted in his place on the chair, turning until he was sitting upside. The position was awkward, and seemed uncomfortable, yet she'd seen the pink haired boy take it often. He hummed to himself, crossing his arms over his chest. It was a sound that meant that he was thinking hard, and most would assume that his next words would be smart. That was, of course, unless you knew the man.

"Does that mean we have to kick in the front door every time we want to come in." He asked, a slight frown on his face.

"It means knock and wait to be invited in!" She shouted back at him, now fuming that after all this time the dragon slayer had not figured out what she meant.

"Honestly Natsu, show some manners."

Lucy snapped around at the sound of the new voice to find Erza standing there. She was wearing her normal armor and snaking happily on something she likely had gotten out of her fridge. The blonde girl sagged against the door frame, an exasperated look on her face. It would never change. At first she had been afraid that after they had been gone for seven years that everything would be different, that she would not be able to find her place amongst them. Yet it seemed that everything had remained pretty much the same. It was both an exasperating and heartwarming thought.

Natsu suddenly flipped over in the chair, nose rising to sniff at the air. His eyes closed as he tried to separate the scents that reached him now. They were familiar, but at the same time worrisome, like coming across your friend's corpse on the battlefield. Looming death cloaking itself in a pallor shadow of home. And he knew the scent of the two that were slowly approaching him even under the fetid stench of blood. Without a word to the others, he bolted from the room and straight to the front door, throwing it open just as Gray staggered up the steps with an unconscious Loke hanging off his shoulder. Blood dripped from the battered spirit, splattering against the stone of the steps.

"Natsu, what are you doing bolting around my house like that!" Lucy's voice hollered from behind him. "You're going to bre-"

The girl cut off her enraged shout with a startled shriek as she saw what was now in her doorway. Gray trudged in without speaking to either of them. He moved past them and into the living area where he laid Loke down gently on the bed. The spirit looked like death warmed over, his skin pale and his lips starting to turn a shade of blue. Each breath he took was labored and caused his whole body to shudder from the effort. His blood stained shirt was torn open showing where Gray had used ice in an attempt to seal off graver wounds and save the spirit's life. Loke's features were drawn together in a tight mask of pain as he tried to curl up on the pink comforter as if to ease the agony of the wound. Lucy could not stand the sight of one of her strongest spirits and closest friends in such a state. She turned on the startled cat on her table and pointed a finger at him sharply.

"Happy, go get Wendy!" She ordered.

"Aye!" The cat yelped in return, his wings appearing in a soft blue light before he took off out the still opened window.

Gray still stood over Loke, ignoring the blood stains on his own clothes. He reached down with a slow hand and gripped the other man's sunglasses, removing them with a careful gentleness and setting them aside. The lion spirit furrowed his brows deeper, a hitching breath escaping him as he tried to claw at the makeshift ice bandage to get at the wound beneath. His lips parted with a chocking gasp that splattered the blanket beneath him with tiny droplets of blood.

"H-Hercules..." He managed to rasp out, facing twisting in anger for a moment. "Per-Perseus..."

Lucy shoved a fist hard against her lips, the tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart was heavy and her mind distraught. She had not summoned the lion spirit, so what had he been doing in their world that left him such a mess? More so, why had he not simply returned to the Spirit World to heal? And then there were those names. She knew them as the names to two silver Celestial Keys. She had never held one before but she was sure of it. Were they responsible for the state of Loke, or was he trying to call out for their help? Mind a whirl, she could only stand beside a confused Gray and Natsu.

"What in the world happened?" She whispered.

**-Annddd, chapter one complete. Now on to work on chapter three of Sacrifice.**

**Please read and review and let me know what you think! As always, reviews keep the motivation flowing.**

**((And for those that are wonder, no matter what the final pairing, Loke, Gray, and Natsu all will play a big role in this story.))**


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